"Through presumption comes nothing but strife, but with those who receive counsel is wisdom."
I recently saw part of an interview by John Piper, the well-known pastor and writer. He interviewed another well-known pastor and writer, Rick Warren. These two men have become friends and I believe have taken some hits from friends and foes alike as a result. John Piper apparently wanted to demonstrate the areas of agreement between them, and clarify the issues of disagreement. By his own admission, Rick Warren thought he and John Piper were far apart on the issue of whether Christ's atonement was limited or unlimited. Shockingly, John Piper laid out his view of the atonement and Rick Warren said, "we are closer than I thought." I was amazed as well, because as John Piper described his view of the atonement there was very little that I would disagree with. He beautifully explained that although Christ's death was for the purpose of saving the elect and that purpose would definitely be fulfilled, he also said that God is reaching out with a "bona fide offer" to the rest of humanity to come to Him through His Son, and that we should not be reticent to share the gospel freely with everyone. That is the Calvinist Unlimited position and that is exactly what I also believe the Bible teaches.
I would never have thought in a million years that John Piper and I would be in agreement about the extent of the atonement, but apparently we are, because God cannot make a "bona fide offer" to the non-elect unless Christ died for them as well. Unless he misspoke or I completely missed something, we are in complete agreement.
This reminded me of a discussion I had not long ago with a young man in my church. He was convinced that he and I also disagreed about Christ's atonement. But when he sat down with me and talked about his conviction...it was the same as mine! A lot of people presume to know what I believe because I am a dispensationalist, but I surprise most of them when they actually dialogue with me. The truth is that there are a number of significant differences among dispensationalists, just as there can be among people who consider themselves Reformed or Arminian.
Now I am not saying that most everyone is really in agreement, and we just have to talk in order to realize it. There are still lots of biblical, practical and theological disputes among God's people that discussion is never going to change. But the truth is that we (including me) don't always verify what others believe, we just presume on certain issues that we are not in agreement. We look at where people went to school or what denomination they belong to, or who they hang and with, and just presume what a particular person believes without actually consulting the individual. I know this won't solve all of our problems with fellow believers, but it would really help if we stop presuming, and just allow people to tell us what they believe and why.
Sometimes we perpetuate disputes because we want to have a problem with fellow believers. But that's not right (see Philippians 2:1-4)! That is a pride issue. Sometimes we hear someone say something or read something he or she wrote, and we just presume from that what that person believes about other matters. This may be because it makes us feel important to be in disagreement with others, especially when the individual is well-known or popular. But when we just presume that we have a difference with others without asking or checking, that is presumption and that will lead to nothing but strife. May God help me, and all of us as believers to do better in this area!
No comments:
Post a Comment